Requirements
by Wishes and Words and Etcetera
Summary: Bella Swan is trying to shake off the past, and start anew at university. But then she meets Edward Mason. How can one person influence so much? How can one person change who you are? AU AH. Still the same story, just reposted. I fail at all things
1. Anchorage

**Okay, so I realize that this probably proves just how insane I am, but I deleted all the chapters, and was going to start from the first chapter again, but then I was like "We can just do that as a separate story". Anyways, this was the reason I haven't be updating recently, because I was so in shamed about my messed up deletion of the chapters. So, I shall re-post, and hopefully my updating will be less spastic.**

**Disclaimer: (For all chapters) I do not own Twilight, like, not even the littlest bit.**

-Chapter One-

Anchorage

I can hardly retain my excitement as I shove the hardiest clothes I own into a beat up orange suitcase. It was hideous, once again showing my poverty, but there was nothing that could dampen my mood.

I was looking forward to this so much that I was even arriving two weeks ahead of time. The university said it was all right, and other students were arriving early as well.

I continued with the clothes-shoving, coming across a navy blue tank top. After delegating its worth, I decided to bring it. There _had_ to be heated indoor places in Anchorage, and anyways, it was my favorite top.

I wasn't excited for the fact of leaving, although this house didn't hold many memories. It was a fine place to live, a lonely place to live, with Renee leaving all the time to go to Phil's games but university wasn't going to be much different.

A friend of mine, Maggie, was totally pumped for university because of parties and freedom. Those weren't things I was concerned with; I knew I would spend my time studying and doing assignments.

At least I wont have to work, I thought to myself, trying to lift myself from the fog that my bleak view of university had caused. There wasn't much like a 97% average to get a full scholarship.

I glanced at the red glow of my alarm clock.

8:47 pm.

I might as well go to bed now, I reasoned. My flight was at 7 in the morning, resulting in having to leave at 4:30. It's a good thing we live so close to the Phoenix airport.

After I washed my face and brushed my teeth, I packed away the last few things I needed. With one final zip I was finished. Surveying my empty room I felt a pang of nostalgia.

There was nothing else I needed to do for tomorrow. Everything was ready.

With a sigh I lay back on my bed.

"Sleep, Bella," I whispered to myself, the same way Renee did when I was little.

I felt little now. My world was changing, expanding into something unknown.

_It will never be the same._

With that disconcerting thought still in my mind, I sunk into unconsciousness.

-------------------------------------------- xo

"Would you like anything to drink?" an overly helpful, smiling airplane hostess asked.

I planned on politely rejecting her and her cart of beverages, so I could return to my book, Wuthering Heights, but my voice stuck in my throat, giving ample time for the girl beside me to turn around for the first time.

She was slim, with long reddish blond hair, and average features. Her eyes were amazing though; light celery green, and her bangs that covered her eyebrows only made them stand out more.

The oversized sunglasses perched on her head gave her an air of casual elegance.

Life is unfair.

"I'll take a Perrier, thank you," _She_ said.

I stared at my hands, completely aware that my shirt was unhemmed, that I had a large smudge of ink on my left arm, and that my jeans didn't quite meet my shoes.

I was clutching my beat up paperback as if it was a life rope. _She_ was listening to a black iPod, blasting rap music into my bubble.

My nose involuntarily wrinkled in disgust. I hated rap. I prefer happy music, music with lyrics that mean something. Rap was far too violent for me.

I turned back to my book, and lost myself in the 1800's, where there were old-fashioned morals and customs.

Where life was just plain easier.

"We entered the farmhouse by the kitchen way, to ascertain whether Mr. Heathcliff were really absent-" I was interrupted by the pilots voice telling us we were landing.

I sat up quickly, noticing everyone else already had his or her seatbelt on already. I clipped the seatbelt into place with my clumsy fingers, quickly, or as quickly as I could manage.

I raked my fingers through my hair just before I felt the telltale bump, landing gear, meet asphalt.

My orange juice, which I had forgotten about, practically jumped out of the bottle before landing on my pants. The sticky liquid spread from my crotch down the insides of my thighs, essentially making it look like I peed myself.

Perfect.


	2. Roommates

-Chapter Two-

Roommates?

After a half hour in a stuffy taxi, and a hefty fare, I finally made it to my destination.

The door was locked, meaning that my roommate was already in there. It was only 9, so I guess that it is time for introductions.

I straitened my shirt and put my hair up in a quick bun. There was no hope for my pants. I wished I could pull this look off, calling it grunge chic, but only girls that looked like supermodels ever had the chance to.

Covering a portion of my stained jeans with my suitcase and duffel bag, I opened the door, expecting to be bombarded, but there was only silence.

I peeked around the corner, unsure if anyone was here. I knew I had a roommate; her name was in the papers they sent me, but I couldn't remember it for the life of me. She was also supposed to be arriving early.

The dorm was small, so I could see her bed easily, there didn't seem to be anyone in it, only a pile of blankets.

Carefully putting down my suitcase next to the open bed, my bed, I looked closer at the pile of blankets.

It seemed to be moving.

I slowly walked closer to her bed, watching the steady rise and fall of the quilt. If there really was a person under there she must be quite small, child-like in size.

I heard a sigh from under the blanket and I bolted over to my side of the room, whacking my shin loudly, and quite hard, on a bedside table.

Trying to be as quiet as possible I limped over to my duffel bag and unpacked my bedding, and small bedside lamp. I decided to leave other stuff for tomorrow; I didn't want to wake up the tiny person who was sleeping so close to me.

Especially when said person is going to be the person I share a room with for 8 months.

Following my nightly routine I lay down, whispering to myself "Sleep, Bella".

Then the world went dark.

--------------------------------------------xo

"Rise and shine!" a voice chirruped in my ear. Groggily opening my eyes I saw another pair right in front of my face.

I swiftly closed my eyes again, surprised. Then I slowly opened then as my nose registered what it smelled.

"I made waffles!" The voice said again. It took me a while to realize that the voice and the eyes belonged to the same person.

"You… made…. waffles?" I asked, completely confused, "how?"

Not answering my question she jumped out of my bed and grabbed a plate, filling them with piles of waffles. So many waffles.

I tried another question as she poured syrup on them. Heaven knows where she got the syrup from, I certainly didn't see any last night. "What time is it?"

I was going to ask her why she was in my bed moments ago, but I didn't want to seem rude.

"Oh it's only 6:20 in the morning!" She said happily, still dripping syrup on them, as if she was planning to drown those poor waffles.

"So are you a morning person or something?" I asked, wondering if every morning was going to be like this.

"Nope!" She sang, popping the 'p', "I just do what I feel like. And today feels like a good day to wake up early!"

Finally handing me the drenched waffle I noticed that she was already dressed and showered, something I never managed to do before 9.

Suddenly she looked even more elated that usual, "Rose!" she cried out. "Where?" I said stupidly, looking for the reason she would randomly call out a flower.

Then I saw whom she was referring to. A blond girl stood in the doorway, hugging my roommate, who magically transported to the other side of the room in mere seconds.

They were both really pretty. Too pretty. Once again I felt myself turning into nothing, becoming invisible for nobody to see.

But somehow they saw through my layers of camouflage and my roommate said, increasing in volume with every syllable, "Bella, this is Rosalie, my BFF! We basically have known each other our whole lives."

Great. Another group that I couldn't fit in.

I didn't ask her how she knew my name, but I pasted on a smile and turned my face to meet Rosalie's, as if it was on a swivel.

"Hi, I'm Bella." There wasn't much more for me to say so I let my grin drip off my face and turned back to my sugary waffles. No wonder my roommate was able to wake up at extreme hours of the morning. She was on a perma sugar-high.

But instead of them closing the spot in the party of two, and ignoring me I heard Rose say my name again.

"Bella? You should really, like, hang out with us sometime! Maybe today? You can't have much else to do."

This time the smile on my face was real and I turned to the, feeling optimistic for the first time all day. Maybe I could have friends here.

"Sure!" I said, overjoyed. I felt like I was overreacting, but this was the first time I was invited anywhere without them being forced to ask me. It felt nice.

" I have to get ready though," They were both ready to go, and now I felt badly for making them wait.

"Sure," my roommate said said, I could see the light bulb flick on over her head, "Let's go shopping!"

"NO!" Rose nearly shouted, "I mean, we go shopping constantly, almost every day, how about today we just introduce Bella to our group, and then we can all decide what to do"

Nothing seemed to bring my cheerful roommate down, but the idea of not shopping made her seem to shrink a few extra inches. "Maybe Tanya will want to go shopping!" Rose said, feeling bad for her pixie-like amigo.

"Maybe!" she said, perking up at the thought.

I decided to sneak a peek at some of the papers the University sent me; I couldn't wait much longer before I had to call her name.

After my shower I snuck into our room and opened the package while she was off with Rose.

Mary Alice Brandon, it said. Okay. Mary Alice. I was good to go.

Once I had picked out my clothes, a beat up old concert shirt, a pair of jeans and a khaki belt, which I wore with almost every outfit, Mary Alice came in.

"Bella!" She shrieked, possibly waking up the entire floor, "I cannot allow you to wear that!"

Slightly offended I looked down at my clothes. They looked fine to me, definitely not designer, but it was only me who was wearing them.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" I demanded, trying to keep my temper in check.

"One word. Accessories!" Mary Alice said, opening a deep plum miniature suitcase, which held…

"Mary Alice!" I said, "I can't wear your jewelry!"

All of a sudden her back tightened, and she turned to glare at me, eyes like ice.

"What. Did. You. Call. Me?" She asked, her voice pure venom.

Uh oh. Did I say the wrong name?

"Mary Alice," I said, "I mean that was the name on the papers the university sent" I was unsure now, sure that she must have taken offence, after all, she knew my name from the very beginning.

"Don't call me Mary Alice ever again." She seemed to calm down a bit, and after toying with a purple butterfly hair clip in her hand, she smiled brightly, apparently over the entire thing.

"Hi!" She said, sticking out her hand, "My name is Alice." I took her hand hesitantly, and shook it once, unsure if she was mentally stable.

--------------------------------------- xo

I sat in an unknown yellow car, zipping through the freeway as if we were in a high-speed race. I nearly expected to be followed by police cars and helicopters, but it seemed Alice knew exactly what routes to take to avoid the cops.

To say the truth, I never sped. It wasn't so much the fact that my father was a police officer; he never really brought traffic laws up in the brief time we spent together. It was more due to the fact that I was afraid of the results, you know, crashing, dying, being arrested…

We screeched to a halt outside a coffee shop, where there was already a silver car, and a light blue convertible parked out front. There were other cars, but looking from the license plates, these belonged to the mysterious people we were meeting.

A bell dinged as we walked through the door, and two people stood up. The guy looked harried and ran his fingers through his hair, stepping away from the girl to politely come up to me. Gosh he was gorgeous.

His green eyes sparkled in the old store lighting, and he smiled crookedly, making my heart beat audibly, probably loud enough for the few stragglers that entered the store to hear. Now that I think of it, they _did_ look at me funny.

He opened his mouth to speak, to introduce himself, I would presume. Instead I walked to the counter, to order my drink. I really needed to calm down.

The waitress behind the counter flipped her short brown hair behind her ear, returning to filing her nails; she seemed oblivious to my presence. I looked at her nametag, 'Terra'.

"Um, Terra?" I said, catching her attention, "Could I have a mocha, please?" She slowly turned towards me, shock filling her face.

She placed her elbows on the counter, leaning in towards me. Her eyes were wide as she hissed, "How do you know my name?"

Before I could respond she stood up quickly, patting her hair into place. I assumed she had just noticed the gorgeous guy behind me.

A pale hand moved past me and rested on the table top beside my hand. I froze. I could feel him breathing in my ear. "Hi, I don't believe I've been introduced. I am Edward Mason."


	3. Introductions and a Makeover

-Chapter 3-

Introductions and a makeover

I whirled around, unsure of what to do. As soon as I realized what I had done, I regretted it.

My face was inches away from his, making every move seem almost romantic. I thought about kicking him in the shins, but decided to go for manners instead, and said, as briskly and politely as possible, "Hi my name is Bella."

Or at least it would have been brisk and polite if I didn't accidentally whisper it.

My eyes grew wide, and his smile grew as well. He leaned in closer to me, our noses almost touching…

"Ahem" we heard from over Edwards shoulder. I looked at the girl behind him, recognizing her for the first time. It was the girl from the plane. I didn't even realize I hadn't looked at her the entire time.

She had her arms crossed and was clearly upset, although I had no idea why… Then I got it. She was Edwards's girlfriend.

As I disentangled myself from Edward, my blush grew from just my face, all the way down to the palms of my hands.

Rose looked from me, to Edward, to the girl, and back to me. After a second of comprehension, she lit up the room with a smile that would make most guys faint. Edward hardly noticed.

"Bella, this is Tanya," she said gesturing to the strawberry blond girl, "and this is Edward, Alice's brother"

Tanya put her arm possessively around Edward's shoulders, and said "Let go find a table then". Edward shook off her arm and went to order a coffee from the awe-struck waitress.

------------------------------------------- xo

Once we had sat down with our steaming beverages, we chatted about courses and guys. I was involved for the first topic, but, since I knew nobody here, I zoned out.

Edward was sitting beside me, silently, as the girls giggled. I guess I wasn't the only one feeling out of place.

I started tuning them out completely as they discussed if empire waist tops hide your stomach, or if they just make you look like you are hiding your stomach.

I observed the waitress, who was humming a Bob Marly song, as she wiped down the tables. There was a redhead in the corner, sipping a tea as she read a book about how to use marshmallows in more ways than eating.

All of a sudden she choked on her tea, seeing something on her page that she obviously didn't want to see. She flipped forward a few pages, calling over the waitress by saying "Terra! What is with this book you lent me?!"

"I like it!" She responded back, folding her arms across her chest

"Its horrible."

"I like it."

"Its horrible."

Sensing that this was going nowhere, Terra turned back to the tables, leaving the redhead to her book.

Those were the only other people in here, although there were two old men sitting on the patio outside. How they could manage the cold was beyond me.

Once the only two other tables in the cafe were now impeccably clean, Terra stood back, admiring her work. With an exaggerated sigh she pushed her pink glasses back up the bridge of her nose, and turned to sit with the redhead, who was now waiting expectantly.

I changed my gaze to stare at the worn, canvas pictures of sunflowers on the wall. They weren't as interesting though. They didn't move or talk or anything.

"BELLA?" Alice bellowed in my ear, surprising me. "Yeah?" I answered, distracted by her foam mustache.

But now she was looking at the entire table, surveying us as if she was grading on appearance, "So what do you guys want to do tonight?" Rose asked.

"SHOPPING!" Alice said instantly, raising her hand into the air.

"Actually, I would like to go clubbing," Tanya said dryly, staring at me as if it was a challenge.

"Sounds good" Rose nodded approvingly. Alice enthusiastically nodded, momentarily forgetting about her credit card burning through her wallet, and that her hand was still raised.

Edward also seemed okay with it, "Okay, I hear there is a new place called 'The Rez'. We should check it out."

All the eyes in the whole of Alaska looked at me, and I had no choice.

"Definitely" I said, swallowing my fear. This was going to be an interesting night.

--------------------------------- xo

"Ow ow ow ow ow OW!"

"Keep…still…THERE!"

Showing me a very, very small mirror, Alice clapped her hands in glee, "Like oh em gee! I finally got rid of your unibrow!"

I sighed. Alice seemed to insult people constantly, or at least me. "It wasn't a unibrow, Alice! It was just a few stray hairs"

Ignoring me, she dug through the massive pile of makeup on the bed looking for an unknown substance. I would guess something sparkly; it seemed to be her theme.

"Aha! You can't hide from me, you stupid sparkly hairspray!"

I knew it.

"She gets like that sometimes," Rose said from behind me, where she was gently pulling a brush through my hair. She was obviously trying to reassure me.

I looked nervously around our dorm room, at the pile of my clothes that had been rejected (all of them), The hair products lined up on the bathroom counter, and the millions of eyeliners, fake tattoos, lip glosses, temporary hair dyes… the list goes on and on.

It looked like a thirteen year old girls dream come true. Not exactly mine though.

They pedicured, manicured, waxed, plucked, washed, and exfoliated me, all of which had took 2 hours.

Now all they had to do is makeup, curling my hair, and getting dressed. It sounded so simple, but I now think it will take the same amount of time and effort, if not more.

Alice handed Rose a curling iron, and with a devious smile, began applying creamy-goo to my face.

It was torture.


	4. Clubbing

-Chapter 4-

Clubbing

I have to admit, even though Alice is hyper, bossy, and occasionally rude, she sure did a good job on this makeover. I actually looked… pretty.

My hair was half-pulled up and the rest curled gently past my shoulders. I had convinced Alice and Rose to go minimalist on my makeup- I wasn't a cosmetics junkie.

I was wearing my favorite blue tank top, Rose's loose swingy, black skirt, and Alice's silver skinny belt. Alice had wanted to go shopping for my outfit, but after a long argument, she agreed to only buy one thing.

After cramming my feet into a new pair of black and white, old fashioned, designer shoes, I did a twirl for them, and they applauded their hard work.

Alice and Rose were already dressed and ready to go, they took much less time then I did.

It was then that the doorbell rang. Loping off with a graceful stride, Rosalie answered the door to a crying Tanya.

Her face was all scrunched up, and bright red. She looked like a little kid, throwing a temper tantrum, but there was obvious heartbreak written all over her face. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

We sat her down, and she continued with her crying, not saying a word. Alice silently handed her pink tissues, and Rosalie rubbed small circles on her back. I leaned against the wall.

Still choking on her sobs, Tanya managed to say, "Edward won't be coming tonight."

That seemed to mean something more, and Alice's expression hardened. "The bastard" she muttered, handing Tanya another tissue. "He wasn't worth you" Rosalie said darkly, "You are too good for him."

I felt like I should say something, but I couldn't remember any good, helpful, post-break-up comforting lines. Then I was struck with a bolt of creativity. "There are other fish in the sea" I said proudly, and Tanya let off a small laugh at that, smiling at me ruefully, through her tears.

Pushing her small mound of tissues away from her, she stood up, surprising Rose and Alice, who clearly thought the entire evening would be comforting Tanya.

With a surprisingly steady voice, Tanya said, "I don't want to be moping all night, lets go out!"

Again, this seemed to surprise Alice and Rose. "Are you sure," Rose asked Tanya, who was sniffling, trying to get over her crying jag. "Yes, I am 100% sure" Tanya replied, recovering some of her snootiness.

Alice jumped up and went over to her closet, grabbing a mini-dress that was much to big for her. She stretched to her tippy-toes, and also pulled down a pair of leggings. While she did that Rose immediately got to work brushing out Tanya's hair, and- like a well oiled machine- they did her make-up in less than 10 minutes.

The drive there wasn't as long as I was expecting, the club was fairly close to the university.

There was a short line outside 'The Rez', a bonus for living so far out in the middle of nowhere. While we were in the line though, a small child, about the age of 7, dressed like a miniature gangster walked up to me.

"Pssst", she said, not entirely facing me, "psssst!"

"Yes?" I answered, using my 'I-love-small-children' voice, smiling down at her. "Do you want some coke?" She said in a half whisper, looking from side to side.

Desperately hoping that she was talking about the drink, or that this was some elaborate prank, I replied "Diet or regular?"

She looked over at me, semi-bemused, and opened her coat jacket to reveal rows upon rows of ziplock bags, stitched into the lining. And all had a small amount of white powder.

Surprise and shock flittered across my face, before I managed to choke out "No thanks." She gave me a conspiratorially wink, and handed me a slip of paper, "call me if you change your mind," and she was gone before I could blink.

I stared at the paper; it seemed to be a business card.

"EMMA

COKE DEALER

856-7486"

Whoa. Could she be anymore obvious?! It seemed Anchorage was a very strange place to be.

I turned to Rose and Alice, who were busy making sure Tanya was still all right. "You guys! I was just almost persuaded into buying illegal substances from a 7 year old! Coke!" They looked at me like I was crazy.

"Sure, sure, Bella" Alice said in a condescending voice, similar to the one I just used on Emma. "It's true," I said weakly, before I settled back into line. We were almost there.

Once we got past the large, curly haired bouncer, who eyed us a bit too speculatively, for my tastes, we made it inside.

It was unreal. There were large, colorful totem poles, surrounding the bar, and most surfaces had elaborate carving on them. Someone must've put a lot of effort into that, I mused, while taking in the dirt floors, the misty lights, the hypnotic beat, and the hundred-something people packed into the elaborate room.

Backing up to avoid hitting into someone, I bumped into a waitress.

She had dark skin, almost native, but much more golden, and somehow warmer, She also had long, thick light brown hair that ended halfway down her back, and she was grinning down at me from her nearly 6 foot frame.

"Are you okay?" she pleasantly asked me, placing down a platter of assorted drinks, and pulling her short skirt down, to cover more of her legs. It was then I noticed the complete Native American theme, with her small, beaded dress.

"Tough night?" she asked sympathetically, sitting down on a nearby stool, I sighed. "Slightly, I just had a marathon makeover session, with my roommate and her friend, then their other friend came by in tears, because she got dumped, and then a 7 year old tried to sell me drugs!"

I finished my long explanation by throwing my hands up in the air, and plopping down next to her. She patted my arm awkwardly, and gave me a pink drink from the tray.

"Here," she said to me nicely, "it looks like you need it more than they do" gesturing to a table of guys drinking shots in the corner. There was only one guy who was not laughing obnoxiously loud, but I looked away, before I could be caught staring again.

I looked back to the pretty waitress, "What is your name?" I asked, hoping that we might end up friends. 'Rachel," she answered, flipping a piece of her bangs, 'But I think it is a really plain name, I wish it was something exotic."

"Don't I know that feeling, " I muttered, introducing myself for the first time, "I'm Isabella, but please, please call me Bella. Isabella is much to formal."

"Sure!" she said happily, as I nervously took a small sip of the drink. I had told myself I wasn't going to drink it, but it smelled so good, kind of sweet, and candy-like.

"Well, I really have to get back to work..." she said, and my stomach made it's feelings known that I did not want to be alone in a strange club, "but I could let you talk to the owner of the place, or the chief as he likes to call himself, he might let you into the VIP area, that is where I mainly work"

I smiled at the thought of possibly enjoying my evening, and agreed, once again doing something the old Bella would've never done.

She led me over to where a 20ish year old man was sitting, wearing a multi-colored feather headdress.

"Hey Sam," she said, addressing him informally, as if he was her friend, and not her boss, "this is Bella, is it alright if she comes up to the VIP part? She's had a long day." I tried to look pitiful, but I am sure I just looked mentally handicapped.

Sam smiled, and put his arm around a pretty native girl, who was sitting my his side, "I think we can let her up, don't you Leah?" He asked, turning to the jubilant girl beside him. Her only response was a giggle, and Rachel led me past a blue velvet rope.

"Ugh, they are always like that, apparently they've been together since high-school," she winced, clearly having some issues with the topic. "Back in high school…" she sighed, "it feels like a completely different world. I am surprised that they ever lasted once they graduated."

"Maybe it's something stronger than most common infatuations, or crushes," I said, thinking about my own lack of a love life. "Maybe..." Rachel said, clearly thinking about another person, in another time.

We sat in silence for a while, her folding napkins, and I, sipping my steadily decreasing drink.

"It's too bad you didn't come earlier," Rachel said, clearing her throat, "there is usually a live band up here, but not so much now, when it is so late. The band that was here today was really good, they had some real soul searching lyrics. And the lead guitar was some eye-candy, my did everyone want a piece of him as he paraded all up there!"

"I'll have to check that out later," I said as I felt a buzzing in my pocket. That made me giggle, and I checked my messages.

There was a text from Alice "B! Where r u? Tanya breaking down. Need assistance"

Oh. Forgot about them. "Sorry Rachel, but I have to go, it seems one of my friends is having a break down of some sort."

"No problemo," she said, with a sudden heavy Italian accent, "I have only an hour left on my shift as it is."

I ran down the stairs, past Sam and Leah, who were busy kissing, I passed the bar, I went through the throngs of dancers, past the corner table, where only the no-laughing guy was now, and made it to the ladies washrooms, where Rose was standing outside, looking for someone.

"Hey Rose," I said, out of breath, "what's wrong?"

Then I saw Tanya huddled up on the floor behind her, sobbing her heart out, with a frantic Alice beside her.

"We need help getting her out," Rose said, as Tanya threw up, on her shoes.

"Eww," Alice said helpfully, and Rose and I carried Tanya out, while Alice held the dripping heels.

All in all, not exactly the 'club experience' that I had been expecting.


	5. Dates

-Chapter 5-

Dates

We got back to our dorm, and I just about fell over in exhaustion. It was 4 in the morning, and I had just helped carry Tanya up 4 floors.

Rose and I gently laid Tanya down on my bed, as Alice slumped to the floor, falling asleep instantly.

Rose sat down on a kitchenette chair, and I curled up at the foot of Alice's bed. Then, slowly, the entire room was filled with quiet snores.

I whispered to myself, and drifted off, happy to be able to sleep after such a long night.

_I was sitting alone in an empty room with an open door. It was painted a deep red, and had a fireplace against the side. Other than that, there was nothing._

_I wandered aimlessly towards the fireplace, but got distracted by a wide glass window I had never seen before._

_I pushed it open, struggling against the old frame. It was difficult, but once it was open the room was filled with its cool breeze. I preferred the cold air to the stifling heat of the fire, so I leaned further out the window._

_Unexpectedly, I saw a squirrel jump up outside. I let my arm trail out to see if I could reach it but I was too far away. I stretched further, until I could feel the soft, light fur._

_Then, it hopped on my hand, and ran up my arm, onto the windowsill._

_I stood there for a moment, looking into its searching black eyes. Then I smelt the smoke. The fire had spread from the fireplace, devouring the walls, and floor. I looked back to the squirrel, but it was gone._

_I looked outside, on the ground and in the trees, but I couldn't see it anywhere. I scanned the room, finding it curled into a ball in the middle of the fire._

_The flames were licking at its tail, singing it black. My throat clogged up, and my breathing increased. There was only one thing to do._

_I crawled over to the fire, my eyes burning from the smoke, and my skin blistering from the heat._

_I reached into the fire, allowing the pain of my burning flesh, until I felt the small furry ball._

_I closed my hand around it, and ran out of the room, not pausing until I was outside._

_I stopped, watching the small room burn to the ground. And turned to my hand, unfurling it. Instead of the squirrel, there was a small stuffed squirrel, lying in my blackened, burnt palm._

_I screamed._

Suddenly I heard a loud trumpet-type noise, and I sat up quickly, regretting it instantly, as a massive headache came on to replace the exhaustion.

Rose got up from the kitchen chair, and stomped her way into the hallway, furious with whomever was practicing the trombone.

"**WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN PRACTICE YOUR TROMBONE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"**

"Um, I'm really sorry-" a guys voice said timidly, clearly surprised with Rose, before another voice, a girls voice, interrupted him

"You can't talk to my brother like that! And anyways, it is 1 in the afternoon, not the middle of the night!"

The boys voice came again, "I'm really, really sorry miss…"

"Get out of my face!" Rose yelled back, not over him waking her up.

I decided to apologize for Rose, as she stormed back in, flopping down on the bed.

I staggered out the door, to be met by a red faced boy, who ran off into the next dorm room, and a semi-angry, pretty, brown haired Asian girl.

"I'm really sorry for Rose, she is... tired." Lamest excuse ever, but it seemed to make her relax a little.

"It's okay," she said, "I'm sorry I freaked out at her, I just hate when people pick on my brother like that."

Then we heard a loud thump from my dorm and she tried to look in the door, but she was interrupted.

"Natalie!" another voice said, coming from her dorm, "Oh! That's my mom," Natalie explained, "gotta go!"

"Bye!" I said after her, "maybe we'll meet again!"

Then I slowly walked back into our dorm, and saw Rose lying on her stomach, on the floor, having fallen off the bed.

I started laughing at the scene, both Alice and Rose on the ground, makeup smeared, and clothes disheveled, and Tanya still passed out on the bed.

It probably wasn't the funniest thing I've seen, but it struck me as hilarious.

Alice pulled herself across the floor, only using her arms, over to the phone.

"I'm getting take-out," she announced, her voice cracking, "what do you want?"

"Donuts" Rose growled, "chocolate-y donuts"

"Fried rice," I said, as I slumped down on the floor beside Rose.

"Thanks guys," Alice said, mockingly, "well it's too bad, cuz I am getting pizza."

"Vegetarian," Rose said, before she let herself flatten back on the floor.

----------------------------------------------xo

All day we hung out, ordering food when we felt hungry.

Tanya woke up, and didn't say a word until after she finished all the pizza crusts. She was still crying, and it sobered up the atmosphere, until, she finally talked.

The time slipped by, and when the sun was finally set, and the room was immersed in darkness, I looked at the clock.

"It's 7," Rosalie said, surprised, I guess none of us were fully used to Alaska's shortened days.

Once again I heard the shuffling noise, and the bedside lamp was turned on, illuminating the room.

From her spot on the bed Tanya yelled "My eyes! My eyes! They burrrrrrrn!"

And, laughing, Alice draped a purple, silk scarf across the lamp, and pulled it to the ground, in the middle of our makeshift circle.

The purple light surrounded us, creating shadows that weren't there before. It was kinda creepy, and I shivered before a flowered duvet fell onto my shoulders.

Handing out mugs of cocoa, and more comforters to the other girls, Alice laughed once more, but this time, it seemed sinister.

"Bella," Alice said, facing me, "have you ever had a boyfriend?"

Well this was out of the blue. "No, not really. Phoenix boys weren't really my type," and none of them ever seemed to notice me.

"Hmm," she said, her eyes alighting with an idea, "Well then, how about this year we find Bella a boyfriend!"

"Okay," Rose said, and she lifted her cocoa up, and the other two clanged against it, "you in for this Bella? It will require you to strip away your fears, and boundaries, leaving you a more confident person."

"If you follow, and do what we say, you will become a more secure person, and you will see just how beautiful you really are," Alice said, grinning energetically at me.

"And you might just fall in love," Tanya sighed wistfully, looking into our improvised campfire.

"Okay," I said, "cheers." And I lifted my cup up took a deep gulp, allowing the others to follow suit.

Sipping her drink, Rose leaned back and said "So, Alice… what's the plan?"

"Hmmmm, well… Bella shall ask out the next three boys she sees" Alice said proudly.

"And for the dates, Alice will dress her!" Tanya said, and Alice high-fived her.

"But," Rose said, with a slow smile creeping over her face, "she has to wear one strange accessory per date."

My face paled. I had to go on dates with three strangers, while wearing odd clothes. This was not good.

"This isn't fair!" I said, "if I have to do this that all of you have to do it as well!"

"Sure," Rose said nonchalant, taking another sip.

"ROSE!" Alice and Tanya yelled as Alice hit her with a pillow, and Tanya poured her drink on her.

"Oww! That's really hot!" Rose stood up, jumping around like she was on fire, "ow!"

---------------------------------- xo

The next morning I was dressed to kill, wearing a short jean skirt, and a light yellow cami. Rose had put my hair in braids, and Tanya lent me the sunglasses she wore on the plane.

No matter how much I knew I looked great, I still was uncomfortable about this whole thing.

We stood in the center of the mall, all four of us planning to take a separate route around, to find diverse guys.

We were all wearing similar outfits, but different color tops. Alice had fun picking it all out. I was beginning to think she was addicted to shopping, just a bit.

All of our hair was in plaits, except Alice's of course, she had a purple butterfly clip on the side of her hair, matching her shirt.

Rose had a red shirt, and shoes to match, and Tanya had a mint green top, and a white sweater.

"All right," Alice said, quickly becoming the leader in our small group, "Tanya: you take the food court, Rose, you take the computer stores, I'll look in the music section, and Bella, you get the clothing stores. Ready? Break!"

And with a flourish, they all left in their designated direction, leaving me stranded.

Looking around one more time, I scurried off towards 'The Gap', stumbling over my gray flats.

Ah, this was going to be easy, finding the guy. There were at least 7 guys my age milling about here.

A boy with pale, gelled up hair was closest, picking up a pair of socks doubtfully. He was actually cute, in a boy next door way.

I walked up to him, but lost my nerve, I walked behind him and hesitated.

But he noticed me, and turned around with a big smile. "Hey, do you need something?" he asked politely, his eyes fixated on mine, as if it was a staring contest.

I was sure he meant it to be attractive, but it made my eyes water a bit. He seemed nice enough though, "Um," I said, blushing a deep red, "I was wondering if…" I trailed off, unsure of what to say next. Why couldn't I have thought this through more?

"Sure!" he said enthusiastically, somehow understanding my gibberish, "my name is Mike."

"Well, Mike," I said, attempting to be alluring, "do you want to go on a date with me?"

I can't believe I did it. I celebrated inside, and he said "Saturday? We could go to dinner?"

"Sure, sounds good," I couldn't help the smile that was spreading across my face, "You can pick me up at seven."

I gave him my address and phone number, and left the store in a hurry. There were two more people I had to ask out before I could leave.

I scurried towards the next male clothing store I could find, hoping that the next two would be just as easy.


	6. Tyler

-Chapter 6-

Tyler

We met at the left exit, meeting up exactly at closing, like we had planned. Rose, Tanya and I looked frazzled, but Alice still had as much pep as she did in the morning.

She had bags filling up her arms, and a small one balanced on her head. Her poise amazed me.

"So who did you get?" she asked us, putting down her purchases momentarily.  

"The first guy I asked out was Josh, and he is this really cute curly haired guy. He works at Mickey Dees." Tanya said happily, looking at Rose next to see who hers was.

"The first guy I asked out was named Emmett, and he was checking out ATV racing games for his Xbox. He was realllllly well built," Rose said with a wink, as Alice's jaw dropped open.

"No kidding! I asked Emmett out too! I guess he now considers himself the luckiest guy in the world," Alice laughed.

"I also asked out a guy named Cam, who was getting a microphone for his niece, and a guy named Jasper, who was playing the guitar in the corner. They both seemed quite nice, but I felt a connection with Jasper, as if I've seen him before…" Alice said, pursing her small lips.

"I asked out a native boy, called Jacob, and a redhead who spilled his fries on me," well that explained the grease stains on Tanya's sweater, "and his name was Ian."

"I invited a guy named Tyler to the movies, and an Eric out to dinner, as well!" I was happy. The guys I asked out were actually interested in me, and seemed pretty cute, although Eric had pockmarks, as if he had bad acne as a teenager. I wasn't rejected once.

"Yay! We all have dates!" Alice said clapping her hands together, "and I picked out EVERYONES outfits! This is going to be so superly-duper fun!"

We erupted in joyful screams, and a mall security guard ushered us out.

------------------------------------------------xo

"No. Alice I am not wearing that." I allowed the incredibly short red dress, I allowed the sheer cropped, short-sleeved jacket, I allowed the brown and white skater shoes, and I allowed the loose curls cascading down my back.

I will not allow a vintage pearl necklace-earring combo. "We are going to the _movies_. Not an elaborate dinner. No fancy stuff!" I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at her.

"But it is _pretty_," Alice coaxed, trying to get me to finish the ensemble. "Pretty shmetty" I grumbled, feeling my resolve diminish slowly. Just as she was about to put it on me, the doorbell rang.

I ran to the door, excited for this date, my _first_ date. I stood there for 30 seconds like Alice told me to, and opened the door while biting my lip, like Rosalie told me to.

"Hi," Tyler said, stepping into the dorm room quickly. He looked around before looking at me, and he smiled slowly.

"Um, I'll be right back, I have to grab my purse." I turned around and walked stiffly away, fully aware that he could see my inappropriate footwear. I walked into the kitchenette area, and said goodbye to Alice and Tanya. Rosalie had already left. We had decided to all get picked up here, because it was more fun to get ready that way. Yeah, right.

I went into the main area, and saw Tyler staring at his reflection in the mirror by the door. He had his cheeks sucked in like a bad male model, and had his eyes narrowed devilishly. He raked his hand through his hair as he made a small growl at his reflection.

"Um…" Tyler jumped, not noticing my presence, "oh, hey Bella, we gotta get going if we want to get to the movie on time," he slurred, grabbing my arm and pulling me through the door.

We drove in silence, in his van. Halfway there, he put on some music, to ease the awkwardness. It was rap.

"Did you know music is like candy?" I asked, thinking of the first thing that came to mind. He looked at me briefly, and decided to ignore me. "You throw away all the rappers," I said, completing the joke. It was a bad joke but the least he could have done was cracked a smile.

Tyler looked at me once more, and then switched off the radio.

We drove the rest of the way in quiet.

Once we got in the theater, Tyler spoke the first word since leaving the dorm. "I'm hungry," he said, looking at me expectantly, "me too…" I wasn't exactly sure where he was going with this, but the ticket-selling girl interrupted us.

"One for 'Tough as Nails'," he said, handing her a five-dollar bill. Once he got his ticket, I asked for a ticket for the same show. He was so inarticulate. He could have told me we were going Dutch, I certainly wouldn't have minded.

I saw him in the lobby, his arms filled with popcorn and pop, "I'll meet you in the theater," he called to me, and disappeared down a hallway.

I waited in line for some food, fuming over his dismissive behavior. He ignored me in the car, made me pay my way, left me in the lobby, and didn't ask me what movie I wanted to watch. This was not a great first date.

"Excuse me," I asked after I had received my popcorn, "do you know what this movie is about?" I asked the spotty teenager behind the counter. "'Tough as Nails'… that is a mindless action flick with obscene amounts of carnage." Just great.

I stumbled into theater 3, spending countless minutes looking for Tyler in the dark. It was difficult to say the least, but after only stepping on 2 people's feet, and stubbing my toes no more than 4 times, I found him at the very back.

I sat down beside him and the movie began to play, "Hey," he whispered, paying full attention to me for the first time, "I finished my popcorn, can I have some of yours?"

Without waiting for an answer, he stuck his hand in my bag, and took out a massive handful of popcorn.

He continued to eat from my bag, but the blood in the movie was making me slightly ill, so I just gave it to him. I leaned on the palm of my hand and sighed. This was the worst movie ever.

Just then I noticed a familiar shade of red in front of me. A light red, almost blond, and her long silky hair was pulled up in exactly the same style as it was when I left.

It was Tanya. I laughed internally, what are the chances of us ending up at the same place, even though it _is_ Anchorage, and there aren't very many places to go…

I debated on whether I should tap her shoulder or not. She was on a date, and it was the middle of the movie, but I was having the worst night of my life, and she must be feeling about the same, since we were seeing the same, stupid movie.

I reached over but Tyler beat me to the punch. "Excuse me," he said, completely ignoring the fact that he, and she, was on a date.

I couldn't hear what else they were saying, because a helicopter came on the screen, and Vin Diesel got shot, which ensued in several gasps from the audience.

I saw their lips moving, and it seemed they were hitting it off. He gestured towards me and she looked over, her eyes flickering with recognization, but disinterest.

She turned back to him and giggled, as I slumped down in my seat, looking at my shoes. I took them off, and stared at them.

Then I shoved them in my half empty popcorn bag, which he still had, and walked away barefoot.

Very few people noticed me leaving, besides Tanya, who looked a little remorseful, but not repentant. Grabbing a cab, I sat down in the back seat and started to cry.

---------------------------------------------------------xo

Once I got back to the dorm I was fine. Well I wasn't 100%, but I wasn't crying anymore either. I put on a brave face in case anyone was still home, and opened the door.

Alice was there, sitting cross-legged on the ground in her green gown and Gucci socks, with Prada high heel sandals, watching TV. I rushed to her side, "Alice! I just had the worst date ever!"

"Tell me about it," Rosalie said from the door, just arriving back.

"Same here," Alice said, leaning back, "He promised me dining and dancing, and he took me to an all you can eat buffet, and a strip club."

At this we started to laugh, "Ethan told me he loved me, and gave me a ring, then he noticed my skull earrings, and took back the marriage proposal." Rose said, finding it amusing through her bitterness.

"I wonder how Tanya's date was," Alice mused out loud, and then I launched into my story.

"You are kidding, right?" Rose said, her jaw dropping open, "nope," I said cheerfully, and crunched another cheesie between my fingers. There was a small pile of orange dust growing by my feet.

"She actually didn't acknowledge you?" Alice looked up expectantly, as if I had gotten my facts wrong, and her friend wasn't just a huge jerk to me.

"It's okay," I said, defending Tanya, of all things, "it might have been love at first sight, and she could help herself, or maybe her eyesight is going and she didn't notice me!"

No matter how many excuses I made for her, I still felt hurt, even though she didn't do much, but add a little more awfulness to my already horrid night.

Just then Tanya arrived, wearing the same thing as in the movie theaters, except she was wearing a feather boa. Her weird accessory. She _cheated_.

Even though Tanya was rude to me just a little while ago, and wasn't extremely nice sometimes, I still couldn't believe she took off her peculiar accessory, something we all swore we wouldn't do.

"Hey guys!" Tanya said cheerfully, swinging her purse onto the counter, and unwinding the red feather boa from her neck.

Silence was all she received.

"So how were your dates?" she tried again. More silence.

Alice and Rosalie were looking at her, glaring and scrutinizing. I couldn't take it anymore, so I rolled onto my back, and pretended to sleep.

Then, like magic, it was suddenly morning.


	7. Mike

**A/N: FINALLY! Here is the long awaited Mike date chapter, not written by me, because I was having this huge writers block, but by the absolutely amazing, and splendifferous, Maggie Summers, aka, paper . creations! I am in her debt eternally, or until I give her enough cd's to fill a small station wagon.**

**Disclaimer: I seriously don't own twilight, in fact, I don't even own this chapter.**

**Chapter Seven: Mike**

_I'm bored_. I thought as I let my eyes wander, inspecting the room Alice and I shared. You could easily tell which side was hers – it's casual and orderly organization making my disarrayed room look worse. I spied my night's odd accessory – shutter shades – lying on my bed, their bright yellow plastic creating a sharp contrast from my dark purple bedspread.

Rosalie, Alice, and the cheater Tanya had already departed for their dates, and I was waiting impatiently for Mike, who was already a half hour late. I hadn't missed how Rosalie's date Jacob had eyed me when he came to pick up Rosalie, which had put me in a bad mood. But then Rosalie had, minutes before, eyed up Alice's date Emmett, who looked a little remorseful that he was with Alice instead of the hot blonde.

A loud, obnoxious knock came from the front door, and I sighed, popping on my shutter shades and opened the door, coming face-to-face with my date.

Mike Newton was taller than me, but not by much. His dirty-blonde hair was gelled into little, individual spikes, and I couldn't help but wonder if he had been late so he could do his hair. He had commonplace blue eyes and peach-coloured skin, and overall I found him rather boring, but I smiled anyways.

"Hello, Mike." He nodded his head and looked me up and down, none to discreetly. A little shudder ran down my spine at the idea of being judged by looks like a dog in a show.

"Come on, baby, let's hit it."

_Baby? How on earth does he think its okay to use endearments on our first date?_ I thought, completely puzzled. I had a bad feeling in my stomach, and I didn't really want to leave the safety of the apartment. Maybe I should just tell him I have a stomach flu and I need to rain check the date.

"You know, Mike. I'm not feeling very good. Maybe I should stay home."

His small, round baby-face fell slightly and he sighed overdramatically.

"That's too bad. You'll miss that Book Convention I was going to take you to."

Well, those were the magic words, Mike Newton.

"You know, I'm feeling much better. Let's go." I said, closing and locking the door behind me. Mike moved his arm like he was going to link mine in his, which I thought was romantic, but instead, his clammy hand found an unwelcomed spot on my hip, far too low for my liking. I side-stepped away from him, but he followed me, keeping his moist hand on the wrong side of my hip. God, he was touching my _thigh. _

We exited the campus building and I looked for his car, but I couldn't find it in the dimming light of the twilight night.

"Where's your car?" I asked as he steered us towards a darkening ally between two tall buildings that I had never noticed before.

"I walked here, doll. Gotta help Mother Earth and all that stuff, right?"

Well, his demeanour was rough and clingy and more than a little creepy, but he _did_ want to help the environment, which was a checkmark in my books.

"Yes, of course." I murmured, frowning as we were plunged into darkness. No, I didn't like this. This couldn't be safe.

Suddenly, as though the vacuum of space was in effect, Mike was sucked away from my side, leaving a cooling patch of air on my side and a sickening twist of fear in my stomach.

"Mike?" I called, trying to find him in the failing light. I heard the scuffle of shoes and a grunt. We weren't alone. Oh God.

I backed up until I felt my back press into the slick, brick wall behind me. I tried to slow my rapid breathing and I wished I would magically develop the power to become invisible.

"Bella," Mike croaked, sounding like he was in pain.

"Are you okay?" I whisper-called, not wanting to draw the attention of the attacker.

"Bella, I'm hurt. You have to..." His voice trailed off, and I fought the urge to scream.

"Mike!" I said quietly. I started to shuffle back to the opening of the alley, and in my haste, I accidently nudged an old, rusty can with the toe of my shoe. It clattered and rolled, easily marking my position.

Hands grabbed my shoulders and I screamed as loudly as I could before moist hands clamped down onto my mouth, muffling my shriek. Laughter spurted from the mouth of the attacker and he pulled me out of the dark alley.

"What the hell, Mike?" I demanded when I finally saw his face in the light. He doubled over from laughing so hard and I resisted the urge to smack the smile right off his face.

Instead, I stormed back to my dorm building, only stopping when his vile hand latched itself onto my hip once more.

"I'm sorry, Bella! I couldn't help it." I turned to face him so I could give him the biggest upbraiding of his life, but the genuinely sorry expression Mike sported made me stop. "I was just really nervous, and you're so pretty, and I just wanted to break the ice... I'm so sorry I scared you."

I heaved a sigh and analyzed my possible choices. Either A, I lock myself into the dorm and declare this date over; or B, I give Mike one more chance to be something other than an asshole.

One look at his puppy-dog face, and I was reluctantly choosing B.

"Fine. Where is this book convention?" I asked, hoping it was real. But with Mike, I was beginning to doubt anything that passed from his lips.

"It's just across town. It'll take a half hour to walk there, and I figured we could stop for some dinner on the way." He said, and I decided to believe him. Innocent until proven guilty, right?

Mike's hand went to my hip again, but this time I intercepted him, looping my arm though his and ignored his disappointed expression. _Forget it, Mike_, I thought, and thankfully, he did.

The entire walk was rather..._normal_, despite how it started. We talked about classes and work, friends and family, likes and dislikes. I learned that his parent's owned an outdoor sporting supply store. Newton Outfitters, he had called it. He said he was all lined up to take control of it someday, taking courses at the University for Business and Entrepreneurship. I told him about my literary dreams; about how I loved English and my irrational fear of children. I told him that I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life, and he sympathized.

The date was going great; at least, it was doing fine until he led us to a McDonalds.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, holding the bright yellow door – the same colour as my shutter shades – for me.

"Um...I guess." Although I _really _wasn't hungry for a Big Mac filled with transfats and other hideous things that caused early deaths.

Mike waved to the younger boy at the cash register, whose skin seemed to be as oily as the French fries they served. The adolescent looked up from the customer that he was helping and smiled, recognizing Mike.

"The usual, dude?" He young boy called, and Mike nodded, holding up two fingers and then nodding towards me.

"You have a usual here?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Of course I do, don't you?" He asked, leading us towards a table in the Play Pit. He pulled out the chair for me, nicely enough, and said something, but I couldn't hear him over the shrieking of children. We were sitting _right _beside the towering plastic jungle gym.

"Dinner won't be here for a couple minutes," He yelled over the shrieking children. "Wanna play?" He asked, pointing his thumb towards the jungle gym.

"Um, no thanks." I said and he shrugged.

"Your loss." He said, dropping his cell phone onto the brightly coloured table-top and sprinting towards the huge, plastic monster, disappearing inside it. I sighed and pressed the shutter shades further up my face, hoping no one would recognize me in my utter humiliation. I found myself wishing the shutters on my shades would pull closed and block out the hideous scene before me. But alas, the shutter shades didn't move, and the world was only _partially _obstructed.

I jumped when Mike's phone vibrated, and the front screen lit up with a little envelope that said 'Jessica' on it. I cocked my head sideways, and pressed a button 'accidentally' to make the message open.

_'Babe, where are you? You didn't forget our anniversary, did you?' _It read, riddled with chat speak that took me far too long to read. Jessica? Mike never mentioned a Jessica. Anniversary? Was he already in a relationship?

My musing was cut short by the greasy teenager that dropped the two meals onto the table, leering at me before leaving. On the tray were two brightly packaged Happy Meals. Mike's usual was a children's meal. How... enlightening.

Mike didn't appear, so I stood gingerly and tottered on my three inch heels, trying to find him in one of the windows of the jungle gym.

Finally, I found him sitting in the Ball Pit with a seven-year-old, glaring daggers at each other. I opened my mouth to tell Mike that _dinner_ was there, when he picked up a brilliant blue ball and hucked it at the seven-year-olds head. The child burst into tears and scrambled out through the opening, crying for his mother. Mike grinned in triumph and my eyes widened in shock.

"Mike?" I asked incredulously, and his head swung towards me. "... Dinner's at the table." I choked out, and he grinned, pushing past me to get back to the table.

I followed slowly, trying not to fall over in my heels. Stupid Alice. Yellow shutter shades, royal blue dress and crimson red high heels do _not_ go together. I looked like a walking sample of the primary colours. And worst of all, I fit right into McDonald's decor.

In the thirty seconds it took me to get back to the table, Mike had scarfed down his chicken nuggets, most of his French fries and was starting on his second drink. Wait, I didn't think you got two drinks with a Happy Meal...

"I hope you don't mind me taking your drink. I was really thirsty." He said around a mouthful of greased up potatoes. I sighed and shook my head, plopping down into my seat and starting on my own chicken nuggets and fries.

The dinner was awkward and quiet and not soon enough, we left the restaurant without paying.

"They'll put it on my tab." Mike explained, not making me feel any better. At that moment, my only saving grace was the idea of a book convention, where I could slip away and leave Mike. Yes, the book convention would be my paradise.

So, imagine my surprise when Mike led us to a regular, ratty bookstore in the middle of nowhere.

"Here's the convention." He said. But there was no convention. The bookstore's interior made my skin crawl with its bareness. There had to be a grand total of ten books, one of them being the auto-biography Hitler that he wrote while in prison for the first time, before he became the dictator of Germany. Good lord, help me.

"Where's the convention...?" I asked.

"Convention? No, there's not convention. It's just a book store."

"But you just said..."

"No, you must be mistaken." He said, picking up Hilter's book and leafing through it.

No, no, no. I wanted to go home. _Now_.

"I'm really tired, Mike. I want to go home." I said, leaving the store and sucking in a deep breath of fresh air. I needed a rescue.

Perfectly on cue, my cell phone vibrated with text from Rosalie.

_'I ditched my date. He was an ass. Where are you?'_

_'Outside a hideous little bookstore. I need a rescue!'_

Mike wandered outside just as I sent the text.

"What's happening?" He asked, and I suddenly remembered something.

"Who's Jessica?"

"My sister." He said a second too late. He was lying.

_'Give me your location and I'll swing by in the M3.'_ Rosalie's next text read. I checked the street signs and quickly typed her my location. Mike watched me curiously.

"Who are you texting?" He asked, trying to read over my shoulder, but I snapped my phone shut.

"My mother. She was curious as to where I was." I lied, but he didn't seem to notice the deceptive ring of it. I plopped down onto the bench outside the store and waited anxiously for Rosalie. Mike joined me, his arm snaking around my shoulders.

"What in the world do you think you're –" He cut off my sentence by shoving his mouth on mine, making me want to gag. I wrenched my head back, breaking the contact and I leapt up, creating as much distance as I could.

"Hey, asshole, get off my friend!" A voice called, and with a huge sense of relief, I spotted Rosalie, sitting pretty in her shiny red car, glaring at Mike.

"My hero!" I cried, hopping into the passenger side seat.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked.

"Home! Thanks for the evening!" I called as Rosalie hit the gas pedal and sped away. I laughed as Mike disappeared on the dark horizon.

Two hideous dates down, one to go.

**A/N: Okay! Eric's date is all planned out, and only partially written! I will try to get it up within the week, but if I epically fail, Maggie's not going to be able to bail me out until monday. Next monday. Very sad. So, I would love it if you guys had any tips about how to cure writers block, if so, please tell me, and you'll get the next chapter a whole lot quicker.**


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